MISENHEIMER — After consideration by USA South Athletic Conference officials, both the men’s and women’s Pfeiffer intraconference basketball campaigns are slated to begin on Jan. 22 and Jan. 15, respectively.
Last week, the conference’s presidents unanimously voted to approve the allowance of the basketball seasons as well as the previously postponed seasons of the conference’s fall sports.
“Given the ongoing nature of this pandemic, the members of the USA South continue to develop strategies to provide a safe and coordinated landscape in which to conduct intercollegiate athletics,” Dr. Tom Hart, USA South commissioner, stated in a recent press release.
Although this official clearance given by the USA South approves the upcoming intraconference matchups for Pfeiffer, the Falcons’ men’s team is set to open its season with a home exhibition matchup against the Covenant Scots on Jan. 9. The Falcons’ first conference game will be a road trip to Averett on Jan. 22.
On the women’s side, the Falcons have no exhibitions scheduled and will start their season with a road trip to conference foe Meredith on Jan. 15.
According to USA South guidelines, the basketball regular season and postseason will occur between Jan. 14 and March 6. Within the updated schedule, all teams will play matchups in their divisions using a double-round robin format; the only exception is that teams within the women’s west division will use a hybrid system.
As it stands, the NCAA is still planning to hold men’s and women’s basketball championships while continuing to allow USA South champions to earn an automatic bid to those tournaments.
The USA South’s fall sports that were postponed months ago are now slated to run through mid-February and mid-April. Although the NCAA announced that the championships for those fall sports would be canceled this season, the USA South still intends to name divisional champions for men’s soccer, women’s soccer and volleyball by installing an intradivisional, single-round robin format.
The USA South football schedule will consist of four regular season games leading up to a conference championship on March 20, while men’s and women’s cross country will hold divisional championships on Feb. 26–27.